Reaper Reflections
by hellokittie
Summary: FemshepxGarrus. End Game Spoilers for ME1. Shepard and Garrus- two different species, but two very close comrades. Can Shepard and Garrus survive as more or will Shepard be forced to refrain as Humanity's hope for life at the cost of her own?
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle._

Also, TOTAL END GAME SPOILERS.

_I recently played through Mass Effect on the PC and fell in love with the whole turian/human prospect almost instant I saw Nihlus. After Garrus joined my team I alt-tabbed and immediately checked to see if he was available as a romance option. So since BioWare declined my fangirl-gasm, I decided I would make this to help other fangirls cope with this tragedy._

Bioware owns all of Mass Effects characters, and should romance them. All at once. I'm looking at you, Mass Effect 2.

Reaper Reflections

Commander Shepard, the toughest human woman in probably the whole galaxy had a problem. She found her Turian crewmate and even turians in general, very attractive.

Everyone on her colony, including her own parents, had bad things to say about the talonned aliens whom they fought in the first contact war. Jane Shepard was definitely not one to share that sentiment, accepting of all aliens… well, at least organic ones. The aliens she served with were brave men and women and she always considered it an honor to work together on teams with them. Being a spectre only reinforced her goal to increase the goodwill between the numerous species, although sometimes it put her at odds with her own people.

Shepard drummed her fingers on the smooth railing that surrounded the raised area to the galaxy map. She pinched and zoomed on the sprawling map around while occasionally checking her journal, mapping out an economical route of planets they should visit before next shore leave. Jane enjoyed the time out on missions if only for the opportunity to work with Garrus, the turian she had come to love more than just a friend. However, she had always kept herself reserved, being a marine. Garrus helped her forget about the horrors of the prothean visions she still received and the still fresh Virimire loss of Kaiden, whom she thought she would have wound up with eventually, because of their shared humanity and past. His brave sacrifice not only filled her with self inflicted guilt as a failed commander but also the questions of what the stars themselves held for her romantically, if anything.

Jane felt herself sigh and close the map out. Since they were still docked at the Citadel, she decided she would take a brief break and go to the embassy lounge. It was quiet and would be easy enough to have a drink in peace, although everything had changed now since the reaper was defeated and the whole Citadel recognized her even more. Repairs had been made surprisingly fast on the citadel due to a group effort of all the species under the councils influence. Citadel Tower, the place where Jane almost died, was still ruined because of the continuing investigation of the reapers ship. She shivered as she walked up the embassy lounges stairs, stopping to sign a few autographs along the way. When the panel opened to the lounge, politicians and other marines chattered and she soon found a crowd around her. Shepard pulled her serious business tone and politely left as soon as she could.

As her eyes darted to the familiar Asari hologram at the bottom of the Embassy stairs, Shepard got an idea. She quickly jogged down to the Citadel Rapid Transit and keyed in the best location she knew- the infamous Chora's Den. She knew it was crazy, but she really needed a good drink now. She walked in confidently, her eyes scanning for anything suspicious. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she got a drink and sat down at a table. The music was loud but no one paid much attention to her. She brushed her blonde hair out of her face and took a sip of some turian liquor. To be honest, she liked it better than the human kind. It was sweet, although a bit thick on the taste buds. Knowing her luck, she was sure it was probably made out of something gross, like elcor armpits. She cracked a smile thinking of that near death experience of its own.

Her smile straightened out however when she noticed a turian shadow fall upon her table. She looked up, surprised to see General Septimus, who she had shooed out of this place for the consort. She raised her eyebrows as he sat down with a drink in hand. He looked sloshed.

"Sir?" Shepard said, unsure about this intrusion. Septimus merely winked at Shepard.

Okay, Jane thought. This is getting pretty weird. She tried again.

"Are you okay Septimus? What are you doing here?" Shepard said. She leaned over in concern. That was her downfall as the General suddenly grabbed her glass and downed it before leaning over and grabbing her with both arms. Her eyes opened wide as the turian brought her into a tight hug. Could it even be called a hug? He was crushing her!

"Septimus! Lay off!" She tried to shove him off. She heard him laugh and he only tightened the grip.

"I liked the way you dealt with me earlier, Shepard. I think I'll-" Before he could finish, a shot rang out and hit him in the shoulder. He flew off of her and Shepard finally could breathe again. She drew her own weapon, facing the next danger. Instead, she saw Garrus. His eyes were glowing, mandibles flaring. He looked so incredibly pissed at Septimus it startled her. He turned his head to Shepard.

"Commander, are you all right?" He said, in worried but restrained tone. Shepard replaced her weapon and tried to squeak out a reply. Her ribs were still healing from the Reaper's crash so all she could do was sit down quickly and grasp her sides.

"Bastard..." She muttered looking at Septimus. "They were just healing into place too!"

What Garrus did next took her by surprise. He picked her up, princess style, and promptly walked out of there. She tensed in his arms, unsure about this gesture.

"Well that was surprising." She smiled up at him. Garrus shifted his glance and cleared his throat. "Since my assignment as a Spectre, the council has given me small cases here and there to make sure I'm trustworthy. Apparently they are still worried I'll turn into Saren even though I'm still under your command." He glanced back at his Commanders' face, which he saw was listening intently. She always paid attention to anything he told her, something he had never experienced with anyone else. It made him feel...special. His stomach turned. _I'm a turian_,for god's sake, he thought angrily. He thought to himself again. And I'm picking up her human slang! But one look down at the smooth skinned human in his arms melted the cruel reality in his head. He hastily continued.

"Long story short, Septimus has been under surveillance over some inappropriate interspecies mingling. Apparently, he's been going for human females- unwilling human females." Garrus clarified, almost too quickly. "Thanks to the whole Citadel, when I heard you were heading to Chora's Den I naturally had to follow." She grimaced as he set her down gently on a bench overlooking the water in the presidium. "Let me call Dr. Chakwas, Commander. I will get her over here immediately to take a look at you." Garrus pulled out his transmitter only for her to push his talon back down.

"Leave it, Garrus." Jane ordered, draping her other arm around her waist.

"But Commander..." Garrus fussed over, lifting his arm up in protest.

"Garrus, that's an order!" She scolded. "I just need to get out of here. I need to get away from all this attention!" Her green eyes pierced him into his own eyes, which were scanning the human in his arm intently. She started to get up when Garrus picked her up. His mandibles seemed turned into a brief smile. Or was she imagining it? "Very well Commander." He walked over to the CRT monitor and they were off.


	2. Chapter 2

_**This chapter was tough to write but I am pretty pleased with the results. Reviews are a very good thing even though my crappy writing doesn't deserve them!**_

_**I just noticed that in almost every story about turians on here involves liquor, usually of the turian kind. I guess Garrus fans, and really Mass Effect fans in general, love their sci fi with a kick. Teehee. **_

The Citadel blew by as the two sat in the Transit seat. The grey Wards were soon replaced with the Presidium's pristine, glittering surface. Shepard felt uneasy, wondering if he was still going to surprise her with a Dr. Chakwas old fashioned fussing. However, her fears eased some when the Transit stopped at a series of apartments that are commonly used for C-Sec officers. Garrus passed her a keycard.

"Commander, please seek out number 4533. I will be back shortly." Shepard pulled herself out of the Transit and looked back at Garrus who still remained in the Transit. "And where are you off to, Garrus?" Shepard cocked her head at him.

Garrus motioned to his Spectre badge that still had its newly polished gleam. "I need to take care of the incident we just had. I'll be back later, Commander." With that he carefully punched in the Council's location and the small Transit craft speed along the air track. She paused watching it disappear out of sight, a bit disappointed. She rubbed her waist and started walking to the number Garrus had mentioned.

The keycard slide down the access panel and gave a reassuring chime as the door slid open for Shepard to lay eyes on its contents. She wasn't surprised to see it being overly simple; Garrus never was one to keep useless nicnaks like she tended to do. However, something did catch her eye on his computer desk that made her heart swell. Two plastic figurines sat next to each other, hand in hand. Actually, hand in hand was an understatement, considering the difference in sizes these two figures. The first figure was none other than Shepard herself, a common item after her successful mission for the council. She thought they were kind of embarrassing, but merchandising in the Wards can't ever be told "No". Next her own figure was none other than Garrus himself, complete with a mean looking sniper rifle that she had bought him as a present. The sniper rifle didn't come with the action figure, she mused, studying it closely.

Her attention focused on the computer the two figures guarded. She was very tempted to peek after such an adorable display. She tapped on the log on screen. She was terrible at hacking. She tried a couple of dumb passwords such as "turian" "GarrusV", even "IloveShepard" which caused her to bite her lip, but nothing but annoyed buzzes came from the tight lipped machine. She pushed herself up from the desk, defeated. She noticed a small hologram pod that projected TV's and manually turned it on and plopped on the couch. To her mixed emotions, a gossipy asari was showing today's incident at Chora's den and the resulting aftermath.

"Oh girls and boys do we have some news for you in the galaxy tonight! And it's not about those damn reapers, reapers, reapers!" The asari chattered, obviously a young and naïve compared to the other asari she had met, Shepard thought. She leaned in to the camera. "But this is even better!" The camera switched to a grainy footage of Shepard in Garrus' arms and looking up into his eyes. It was paused at that moment. "Shit" Shepard thought. _Do I really look like that when I look at him?_ She felt her face get hot with embarrassment.

The camera once again was on the asari. "Oh yes its true! Interspecies relationships have hit a new level, and it looks like the Spectres are going where no, hehehe, genetalia has gone before with these two!" A cheesy laugh track accompanied that horrible joke.

Shepard uttered a loud groan and put her hands on her chin, watching the screen turn to a panel that had an elcor, salarian, turian and human.

"So what do you guys think of this shocking revelation?" The asari batted her eyelashes for effect.

"Surprise..." started the elcor slowly. He was cut off as the turian butt in. "Are you kidding me? That is dishonorable! Do they protect the council or are they in sex ED?"

The human male on the station looked equally distraught over the manner. "This proves one the human race has long feared- that our only spectre has eyes for other species more than her own!"

The salarian scratched his head in thought. "I do not see a problem but I would love to be assigned to research this pairing.." Shepard clicked off the TV before she heard anymore of his outlandish proposition. She sat up and looked out a window that overlooked some gardens. Now I will really have to lay low. In fact, I will probably have to climb out this window if anyone knows where Garrus lives, Jane thought darkly. Shepard was just examining the locks on the window when the key code chimed. She turned to see Garrus back.

_I'm so glad turians don't blush like humans_, Garrus thought as he stepped carefully in the door to see his commander slightly bent over by the window watching him. The sight of his Commander at all these days seem to get him as the humans call it, "hot and interrupted" or was it "bother?" Once a turian has found his ideal mate, his cycle would constantly nag at him until the desire was fulfilled or medications were taken. Garrus clenched his mandibles in a sigh. At this rate, he would have to be put black market medications. But even so, he couldn't imagine taking them because a part of him believed that maybe- just maybe, she felt the same way.

"Garrus? Are you okay? You are kind of zoned out."

_Get a grip, Vakarian!_ "I'm sorry commander, I was just distracted." Garrus bowed his head slightly apologetic. She walked up to him staring up at his eyes with her arms crossed.

"I know you are embarrassed by the reports. I will try to clear up everything." Jane couldn't believe how calm she sounded when really she wanted to be proud of what she felt for him. "A smart turian like you shouldn't be a victim of all this silly gossip."

Garrus was confused as the vibe he was receiving from her. As Jane was a hopeful potential in his mind, he was more attuned to her emotions and noticed the stark difference between the projection of her voice, which was devoid of her warmth, and her eyes, which fought their own battle against those treacherous lips, looking almost... crushed? Garrus moved closer to her face, unable to resist examining these mixed messages she was sending. Once he had, he instantly regretted it as he felt her soft breath brush against his own face. His control was losing it.

Her body quickly melded into his own as she suddenly embraced him tightly. Her arms reached to his shoulders, gripping him tightly as if that was what held her up. Garrus eyes seemed to dart with emotions ranging from surprise, arousal, happiness, and confusion. It didn't take long for Garrus' talons to carefully remove the thin material the blocked Jane from him. She helped him do the same, marveling like a shy virgin as his civilian wear was scattered in significantly larger lumps on the floor compared to hers.

They lied down together on the bed, unsure of what to do next. Instinctively, Garrus wrapped his arms around Jane, quiet as a pleasant buzz seemed to take over them as they shared each other's company. Despite his urge to go further, he held back knowing it would be too painful because of her injuries that she had acquired earlier. Instead, he pulled her as close as he possibly could and breathed in her scent. He couldn't quite tell what its sweet fragrance was, but he would have to ask her later.

"I remember when I first met you, Garrus." She looked up at him with a large grin on her face, her hair bunching up as she moved to look at him better.

"If I didn't know any better, Jane...it seemed like you took interest in me from the start." Garrus teased, enjoying the sound of Jane.

Shepard punched him jokingly. "Hey, I can't help admiring a good looking turian when I see one."

Garrus' eyes gleamed. "You have no idea! Since I knew you were into turians I had to worry about every encounter with one!"

Pushing her hands underneath him she turned onto her stomach to face him.

"So when did you start getting into me Garrus? Hmmm?" She twisted her feet together and moved them back and forth watching his reaction.

Garrus thought for a moment and then shrugged.

"It's hard to tell. I know I had respect for you since the beginning because you fought with such honor and dignity so akin to my people's traditions." He began, his voice quiet.

"However, your methods in solving obstacles always blew me away. Every time I thought I knew what to do on instinct, you would find a way to save twice or triple the amount of lives. At first it drove me insane but the more I saw the effects of it the more I realized that sometimes hastiness can... make a Saren out of anyone."

Jane looked thoughtful at this, nodding in agreement.

"I would say I really took interest in you the moment you listened to my request with the salarian doctor. During that moment, you showed kindness and understanding but also the maturity to handle the situation." Garrus cocked his head to his side, his mandibles forming into that unique turian style smirk.

"I would have to admit my hormones got involved during our first mission together in that close quarters Mako. That first rollover we had was an intense as it can get."

Jane laughed. "I thought you always acted a little funny in there. I thought you were just carsick!"

"Does 'carsick' mean getting a... what Joker called it... 'boner' with medium armor on?"

Jane laughed harder causing her to give a series of "ow's" afterwards.

Garrus pulled some medigel from his pack.

"Jeez I almost forgot. I got some of these from Dr. Chakwas."

Jane reached for the medigel but Garrus gently turned her over and began applying the gel himself on her sore sides. She sighed in relief as the ribs shifted again in their proper place and the tenderness was replaced by the soft touch of Garrus on her delicate pale skin.

"Jane." He quietly said.

"Yes Garrus?" She had her eyes closed, enjoying the soothing feeling of his talons.

"I thought you were really...dead back there. At the citadel tower."

Jane opened her eyes to see Garrus' eyes seem to a dim as he talked.

"I ran like a fool. I was just obeying your orders; not even thinking beyond me like you always did, like I swore that I would do too-. And seeing the wreckage, where you had been standing and the reality of it all- I never want to feel that again."

Jane pressed the palm of her hand into Garrus'.

"Please Jane- all I ask is that you remain with me- no matter what the challenges ahead might be." Garrus looked intensely at her; his very soul seemed to depend on her answer.

Jane leaned over and kissed his mandibles. They quivered a little bit.

"I won't let anything stand in our way. You have my word."

They embraced again, this time letting themselves drift off to sleep, free of all the burdens that had been on their shoulders for so long.

--


End file.
